KNOX - A driver died Thursday night after his car caught fire after a crash on a rural road and neighbors could not free him from the wreckage, according to the Albany County Sheriff Office.

A passenger in the car that crashed on Beebe Road at 11:30 p.m. was freed from the car, but the people who tried to pull the driver, Christopher Davis, 22, of Altamont, were pushed back by the spreading flames, deputies said.

The vehicle was engulfed by the time deputies arrived and Davis was pronounced dead at the scene.

The passenger, Taylor C. Vigay of Albany, was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital to be treated for cuts and bruises.

Deputies said Davis was driving at a high rate of speed before the vehicle slammed into trees near the intersection of Beebe Road and Knox Gallupville Road. Sheriff Craig Apple said investigators are also looking into the possibility alcohol played a role in the crash.

Sheriff's investigators and members of the State Police accident reconstruction team are investigating the crash.